Thursday, May 29, 2008

Ray Allen: Winning gives me the greatest joy

Despite what some skeptics will tell you, there are NBA players who care more about winning than their stat line.

Example: Boston's Ray Allen. After putting up 29 points to help the Celts down DET in the Eastern Conference Finals, he said, "My feeling right now is no different than if I scored 10 points and we won the game. It's a great feeling. Just winning gives me the greatest joy, regardless of what I've done."

Said Doc Rivers, Allen's coach: "He never changed his routine; he never did anything different. He kept working on his game, he kept believing every day, and that's probably why he's been so great through his career — because he believes."

And if that doesn't convince you that winning matters, then maybe this parting quote from Allen, a 12-year pro, will:

"For me, every game is a new journey, it's a new adventure for me. Every day, I'm working on trying to think about where I had the last shot I missed and getting my legs right and being explosive and just thinking about it and having an opportunity to get better. So those are my moments, and those are the moments that I enjoy."